WAR - by Albert Einstein

[katanalori]

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action!
It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
~Albert Einstein

[Taverner]

1. That's a Keeper

[northoftheborder]

2. This one goes to my quote collection.

[sasha031]

3. I will certainly put that one in files, thanks

[Distant Observer]

4. Thanks for the reminder here. The MSM is in full gear with all the manipulations that makes a WAR

seem so fine.

[Jim__]

5. Einstein fled Europe prior to WWII and was not torn to shreds.

Other people fought and defeated the Nazis, many of those people died in that fight. I'm not impressed with Einstein's stance. If killing in war is murder, what is fleeing the fighting?

[Modern_Matthew]

6. Intelligence. nt

[Jim__]

7. Sure. If you think only the stupid fight for what they believe in. - n/t

[robdogbucky]

10. Smear, but nice try, he was Jewish and couldn't go back

In 1933, Einstein decided to emigrate to the United States due to the rise to power of the Nazis under Germany's new chancellor, Adolf Hitler.<41> While visiting American universities in April, 1933, he learned that the new German government had passed a law barring Jews from holding any official positions, including teaching at universities. A month later, the Nazi book burnings occurred, with Einstein's works being among those burnt, and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels proclaimed, "Jewish intellectualism is dead."<40> Einstein also learned that his name was on a list of assassination targets, with a "$5,000 bounty on his head". One German magazine included him in a list of enemies of the German regime with the phrase, "not yet hanged".<40>

Einstein was undertaking his third two-month visiting professorship at the California Institute of Technology when Hitler came to power in Germany. On his return to Europe in March 1933 he resided in Belgium for some months, before temporarily moving to England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein



He was visiting the United States when Hitler came to power in 1933, and did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he helped alert President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany might be developing an atomic weapon, and recommended that the U.S. begin similar research. Later, together with Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. Einstein taught physics at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein

[Jim__]

19. Advising FDR to build an atomic bomb contradicts the citation that claims ...

... that killing under the cloak of war is murder. Einstein's opinion may well have been more nuanced than indicated in the OP. Without context, there's no way to know.

[Forkboy]

17. He should have stayed and died with the rest of them.

It's the only way to be pure.

[Jim__]

20. He certainly should not call the people who fought the nazis murderers. - n/t

[originalpckelly]

8. So sayeth the man who encouraged FDR to start building an atom bomb.

Yeah, whatever Einstein. Fucking hypocrite.

[ReggieVeggie]

11. To build it before Hitler did

[Forkboy]

18. ...

:eyes:

You do know that the concept of the atom bomb was known well before Einstein, right (as far back as 1890 even)? And that it was going to be developed by someone before 1950 no matter what, right? I hate that the fucking thing exists, but it could have easily existed in Hitler's hands before ours.

Now, before you flip out and accuse me of being a nuke lover, or whatever you call people who don't agree with you, the "No Nukes" issue is what got me involved in politics way back in the early 80's. I wish they didn't even exist, but science doesn't wait for the right person to possess that knowledge, and we're damned fucking lucky that we got it before Hitler did. You think dropping bombs on two cities sucked (an understandable position, don't get me wrong)? But tell me what you think Hitler would have done with it.

[ReggieVeggie]

9. kick

[Catherina]

12. Rec'd and copied. Thanks n/t

[Shandris]

13. Pray tell.

What would Mr. Einstein's suggestion have been for how to stop the Nazi's from exterminating his own people?

PROTEST IT?

You can bitch about war all you want -- as long as its AGGRESSIVE war. But if you open your mouth to deride people who merely DEFEND themselves in a DEFENSIVE war, or defend OTHERS who are INCAPABLE of defending themselves -- like the Jews in the camps -- then you can kindly go fuck yourself.

[BeFree]

14. Gawd

Slamming Einstein's hate of war? WTF? Notice he exclaims his hate for one who "JOYFULLY" marches and one who does so just out of love-of-country. IOW, those who desire war and who will kill just for love of their country, are a disgrace to civilization. He's right of course, the world would be a better place without those types. GWB is an example.

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action!
It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
~Albert Einstein

[Shandris]

15. So the paratroopers who joined the Army in WW2 because they could...

...earn additional money for their family while fighting a good and just cause, because they didn't grouse and bitch about it all day, are a 'disgrace' to the world?

I've already stipulated that those who START wars are vile and contemptible unless the war is one that is clearly and truly just, but then Einsten goes on to complain about 'heroism on command'. I'm trying to imagine now what YOU think his interpretation meant.

June 6, 1944

Colonel Joe: "Hey uhh...yeah. Look, these Germans and shit...they got the beach dug in. People aren't going to voluntarily run up through those fields of fire."
Lieutenant Rick: "Yeah, holy shit that's a good point. What do you think, Albert?"
Albert Einstein: "Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble it is!"
Colonel Joe: "Good point. Call CENTCOM, we're packing up and heading home. And let's mark those dumb bastards who would have listened to commands to run in front of pillboxes, the world will be better off without them."

I'm not pro-war, but I'm not pro-stupidity either. There are times for war, regardless of what Einstein quoted once upon a time. A theory which, may I remind you, he decided wasn't important enough to NOT work on the Nuclear Bomb.

[white_wolf]

16. The more I learn about Einstein

the more I am convinced of what a great man he was. A pity we don't have more like him.